Photo: Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol members have cared for injured visitors since 1934. Courtesy photos.
From corrugated roofing to becoming Lamoille County’s largest EMS service
The nation’s oldest ski patrol, in continuous operation since 1934, turns 90 this year.
by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine Any skier unfortunate enough to wipe out on the slopes recognize the comforting appearance of the red-jacketed ski patrol.
Since 1934, before ski lifts, groomed trails, or the Mansfield Base Lodge, Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol members have cared for injured visitors.
Photo: Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol members have cared for injured visitors since 1934. Courtesy photos.
January 8, 2024, marked the organization’s 90th year of service, taking mantel as the longest-operating ski patrol in the United States. The Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol assesses the mountain, opening and closing trails based on conditions, helping keep skiers and riders safe, and assisting with any guests or staff’s health and safety issues.
Like many ski patrol members, Craig Fisher has roots in the Stowe community, first skiing at Stowe as a junior high student and subsequently joining MMSP in 1996.
“Being on ski patrol is akin to joining a tight-knit family, sharing a common space and facing various ups and downs together,” says MMSP Director Fisher.
“You create a profound understanding among members, fostering lifelong connections and enduring relationships,” he said.
The MMSP began existence as the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club. Members formalized the patrol after legally incorporating the organization on January 8, 1934. Club participation grew from 1934 to 1938, and as part of their patrol duties, the group built a supply of makeshift toboggans made of corrugated tin roofing.
The ski patrol has adapted to evolutions in ski equipment, the addition of snowboarding, and developments at Stowe Mountain Resort itself.
MMSP is the largest EMS agency in Lamoille County, said Fisher. It received approximately 1,000 calls a year.
The patrol operates with 48 paid staff and 18 volunteers. The ski patrol members and the snow grooming staff are the first on the mountain each morning. Patrollers safety check the trails to determine if any should be closed for the day. At the end of the day, Patrollers are the last to leave, ensuring all skiers are off the mountain.
Fisher said on a busy day, as many as 10,000 people visit Stowe Mountain Resort.
Photo: Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol members have cared for injured visitors since 1934. Courtesy photos.
The paid patrollers have graduated from the state’s EMS/EMT program, Fisher said. The volunteers have received emergency training, such as the Outdoor Emergency Care NSP Certification from the National Ski Patrol association.
Brian Linder is a second-generation patrol member and the MMSP’s historian. While reviewing his father’s patrol logs from the 1940s, he noticed that the most common injury his father responded to were ankle injuries. Linder and Fisher attribute this to the old non-release bindings skis used.
As ski bindings have improved, ankle injuries are rarer on the slopes, Fisher explained. Now, the patrol tends to respond to skiers with knee injuries. Snowboarders tend to injure their arms and shoulders, he said.
According to Linder, during the 1935-36 ski season, the ski patrol named Charlie Lord and Craig Burt, Sr. as Patrol Leaders. The men became certified in Red Cross first aid that winter and established the requirement that members must obtain Red Cross first aid training.
Lord is also known as the resort’s trail designer, surveyor, and historian.
Linder said the MMSP has also served as a testing area for medical advances. In the 1960s, according to Linder, the patrol’s medical director, Dr J. Bishop “Bish” McGill, developed a body traction device for spinal injuries. While no longer the practice, the device was, at the time, state-of-the-art.
McGill graduated from the UVM College of Medicine in 1946. He practiced and taught surgery at Fletcher Allen Health Care for over four decades.
Stowe’s first ski lift opened in 1937, Linder said.
During that season, Al Gottlieb became the MMSP’s director. In partnership with the Vermont Forest Service and the U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps., Gottlieb created a series of 30 toboggan and first-aid caches across the mountain.
According to legend, a combination of makeshift toboggans and kerosine lanterns helped ski club members ferry injured Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole off the mountain after he broke his ankle on the Toll Road in 1936. Dole supposedly spent hours waiting for word to reach the mountain’s base camp and for patrollers to hike back up the Toll Road. This experience is said to have spurred Dole to found the National Ski Patrol as a committee of the National Ski Association. According to the NSP’s website, by the time he retired in 1950, the organization had 4,000 members serving 300 ski patrols. Dole is also credited with establishing the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army during World War II.
Linder enjoys the MMSP’s camaraderie and teamwork. He said that during an emergency call, the team is almost silent as members attend to their tasks.
Fisher enjoys the mountain’s beauty. He said the quiet times on the mountain in the early morning and end of the day are very special.
"At Stowe Mountain Resort, we’ve had a ski patrol longer than we’ve had a ski resort,” said Shannon Buhler, Vice President and General Manager of Stowe Mountain Resort. “The Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol is an invaluable asset to Stowe Mountain Resort, embodying the value of safety and camaraderie on the slopes.”
She continued, “Their unwavering commitment to ensuring a secure and enjoyable skiing experience is a cornerstone of our mountain community, making Stowe not just a destination for adventure but a haven where every skier and rider can confidently carve their memories."
To honor the MMSP’s legacy, Stowe Mountain Resort has created a video series about the organization. Sponsored by Stowe Mountain Resort’s on-mountain safety partner Helly Hansen, this documentary-style video series commemorates and celebrates the history of MMSP.
View the first episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KconB6zQqCY
